Remainers feel superior to us, claims Farage
Brexit Party leader says this attitude has led to a rise in pro-eu militants protesting in the streets and rejects ‘thick, ignorant, racist’ stereotype
By Christopher Hope Chief Political Correspondent
REMAINERS believe they are “morally superior” to people who voted to leave the European Union and so “can do whatever they like”, Nigel Farage said yesterday.
The Brexit Party leader clashed with Sir Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrats’ leader, in a televised debate hosted by
The Telegraph, on the eve of today’s European Parliament elections.
Mr Farage insisted he was “far from racist” and accused “senior figures” like Sir Vince of “giving the impression that those who voted for Brexit didn’t understand what they were voting for; that somehow we are thick, stupid, ignorant, racist”.
“It has given the sense that those who voted Remain are morally superior to those who voted Leave,” he added.
Mr Farage claimed that this was to blame for a rise in “militant Remainer types” protesting on British streets.
He added: “They genuinely think that because they are superior to the Leavers they can do whatever they like. That’s why we have got the division we have got today.
“The sooner we get Brexit delivered, the sooner people accept there is a new reality. That is when we can start coming back together again.”
Sir Vince hit back, suggesting that Mr Farage had been somewhat thinskinned for encouraging the police to charge a man with assault for throwing a milkshake over him in Newcastle on Monday.
He asked Mr Farage: “In public life we get a lot of unpleasantness – I have had spitting in the street, excrement through the door. Don’t you think you have been a bit precious in pressing charges?”
Mr Farage said: “It’s not about me. Do you think putting ‘B ****** s to Brexit’ on your leaflet is coarsening the debate?”
Sir Vince, whose party wants to stop Britain leaving the EU, replied: “It’s honest. It’s straightforward. It’s the language that the ordinary people you claim to represent use.”
During the half-hour debate, Sir Vince said Mr Farage had “played a role in whipping up this antagonism to foreigners”. Mr Farage hit back: “What are you on about?”
Sir Vince continued: “In the referen
dum you told us that next year, 2020, Turks are going to be free to come to come to this country. A lot of people were alarmed by something that is patently untrue. You put out that advertisement, the hoarding, showing immigrants who had dark faces [during the 2016 EU referendum].
“I welcome people with dark faces. I was married to one. But people coming in from Europe are Europeans. It was giving a totally false picture of what immigration actually amounts to.”
Mr Farage also insisted that he is more internationalist than people who want to stay in the EU, saying: “I’ve taken terrible stick on this.”
He added: “All I have ever argued with immigration is that we should have a free, fair system that stops discriminating against India and against Australia in favour of Romania, or anywhere else.
“I utterly reject the idea that I am trying to stir anything up. Far from being racist, actually, we really are more internationalist than those who want our whole future decided by the EU.”
Mr Farage, who has been an MEP since 1999, defended the absence of a Brexit Party euro elections manifesto by saying he did not want to “cloud the issue by talking about important domestic policies”.
He said it was “an outrage” that “career politicians are trying to prevent” Brexit.
Sir Vince replied: “It would be an outrage if we left,” adding that he backed a referendum.
Mr Farage told him: “My problem is you people – my problem is even if we vote again to leave, I don’t think you will accept it. I don’t think many in Westminster will accept it.”
The pair clashed over the collapse of British Steel, disagreeing over whether it could have been saved if the UK had already left the EU.
Mr Farage said: “Right now if we wanted, as a nation, to put money into British Steel, we are not allowed to because of EU state aid rules.
“The decision on whether to let British Steel go under or save it should be made by us – not the European Commission.”
Sir Vince replied: “I was responsible for industry policy [as part of the Conservative-liberal Democrat coalition government] for five years. Numerous state aid cases came up. In not a single case were we turned down.”
Mr Farage said he believed Britain can “do better” than EU officials when it came to negotiating trade deals with other countries after Brexit.
He added: “There has been too much in the past three years of what Westminster wants and to hell with the country – the country now has a chance to speak.”